Leadership for INClusion in Early Years (LINC) Programme

Leadership for Inclusion in the Early Years (LINC) Programme

Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Early Childhood Ireland and Maynooth University – The Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education (MU-Froebel Dept.) comprise the three partners of the consortium awarded the contract from the Higher Education Authority for the delivery of the Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years Programme (LINC). The Programme comprises a Level 6 Special Purpose Award (Higher Education) and a CPD Programme.

LINC Level 6 Programme overview

The Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years Programme (LINC) is a Level 6 Special Purpose Award (Higher Education) that is designed to support the inclusion of children in early years.

The course is fully funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) and is offered for free to people working within Early Years settings. Graduates of the LINC Programme will be qualified to perform the role of Inclusion Coordinator (INCO) within their Early Years settings and will also be recognised for Lead Educator Status under the DCEDIY Qualification Guidelines.

The development of the programme is part of a government response to local, national and international demands for high quality education and training leading towards graduate pathways in the combined field of early childhood care and education. The programme seeks to address the need for continuing professional development (CPD) in relation to the inclusion of all children.

Flexible learning

The programme is based on a flexible model of delivery addressing the learning requirements and needs of our students. Each module will consist of three recorded lessons each week (which students can listen to at any time); a weekly online tutorial and one live webinar. In addition to this, there will also be an opportunity for students to attend two in-person classroom sessions with their tutor for the Portfolio module, one in the autumn semester and the other in the spring semester.

Students should have access to a reliable internet connection and desktop/laptop computer in order to complete the programme.

LINC 2024/2025 will commence in September 2024 and conclude in May 2025.

LINC+ CPD Programme

The LINC+ CPD Programme was launched in March 2021. It was created to enable graduates of the LINC Programme to benefit from regular professional support and development, through additional training, networking and development of communities of practice.  The programme is fully-funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCECIY) and is delivered completely online.

This programme aims to:

• equip participants in their role as Inclusion Coordinators (INCOs) with the requisite knowledge(s), practices and values to lead inclusion in Early Years (EY) settings and to support the implementation of the Better Start Access and Inclusion (AIM) Model.
• offer participants strategies and supports to enable them to respond appropriately to ensure that all children can access and fully participate in EY settings.
• support participants in developing family, professional and community partnerships that contribute to the creation of inclusive EY settings.
• support participants in the development of Communities of Practice that provide for a for EY practitioners to create inclusive settings.

The LINC+ CPD Programme is delivered online through Moodle which will be familiar to all graduates of the LINC Programme. It will be up to each individual to take it upon themselves to complete the package content. Flexible learning is at the heart of LINC+ CPD and participants can engage with the package at a time that suits them best. 

Participants will receive a certificate of completion which they will be able to download once they complete each package.

Similar to the Level 6 programme, the LINC+ CPD Programme is fully funded by the DCEDIY and there is no cost to participants.

Further Information

Please see the LINC Programme website:  www.lincprogramme.ie